Rob Bell facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Robert Holmes Bell Jr.
Bell on "Everything is Spiritual" tour in 2016
Born	(1970-08-23) August 23, 1970 (age 54)
Alma mater	Wheaton College (B.A. 1992) Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div. 1995)
Known for	Founding Mars Hill Bible Church
Parent(s)	Robert Holmes Bell (father)
Honours	Time 100 (2011)

Robert Holmes Bell Jr. (born August 23, 1970) is an American author, speaker, and musician. He used to be a pastor. He started Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan, and led it until 2012. Under his leadership, Mars Hill became one of the fastest-growing churches in America.

Bell is also the author of Love Wins, a book that became a New York Times bestseller. He also wrote and narrated a series of spiritual short films called NOOMA. In 2011, Time named Bell as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Since then, he has become a writer and speaker. He appears on talk shows and gives speeches about spirituality and leadership. He also hosts a popular podcast called The Robcast. In 2018, a documentary about him called The Heretic was released.

Robert Bell's Life Story
Robert Bell's Beliefs
Awards and Recognition
See also

Robert Bell's Life Story

His Early Life and School

Robert Bell is the son of Robert Holmes Bell, who was a U.S. District Judge. His father was chosen for this important role by Ronald Reagan.

After finishing high school, Bell went to Wheaton College in Illinois. While there, he started a rock band called Ton Bundle. He also taught water skiing at a Christian camp. At this camp, he was asked to preach one day when someone else couldn't. Bell earned his bachelor's degree from Wheaton. He also received a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

Starting Mars Hill Bible Church

Bell and his wife moved from California to Grand Rapids. They wanted to be closer to family. They were also invited to learn from pastor Ed Dobson. Bell often preached at the Saturday night service at Calvary Church. He then announced that he would start a new kind of church community. He named it "Mars Hill" after a place in Greece. This was where the apostle Paul spoke about an "unknown God."

In February 1999, Bell founded Mars Hill Bible Church. The church first met in a school gym in Wyoming, Michigan. Within a year, the church was given a shopping mall in Grandville, Michigan. They also bought the land around it. In July 2000, their new building opened. It had 3,500 "grey chairs" for people to sit on. By 2005, about 11,000 people attended the two Sunday services. By March 2011, between 8,000 and 10,000 people came each Sunday. His teachings at Mars Hill inspired the popular "Love Wins" bumper sticker. The church gave these stickers away after services.

To keep his life balanced, Bell took Fridays as a personal day off. He did not use electronic devices and other pastors handled his duties. In January 2007, TheChurchReport.com magazine named Bell No. 10 on its list of "The 50 Most Influential Christians in America." Readers and online visitors chose this list.

On September 22, 2011, Bell announced he was leaving Mars Hill Church. He planned to start a "spiritual talk show in Los Angeles." Bell's 2011 book, Love Wins, caused some debate among Christian groups. This was because of its ideas about hell. This debate led thousands to leave Mars Hill and also led to Bell's departure.

In July 2012, Bell held his first big event since leaving Mars Hill. He spoke at the Viper Room night club in Los Angeles. Bell has also hosted workshops in Laguna Beach. These workshops are for "leaders, teachers, artists, and anyone who creates things."

Other Creative Projects

Before Leaving Mars Hill

Bell was the main speaker in NOOMA, a series of short films. The name "NOOMA" comes from the Greek word pneuma. This word means breath or spirit. All the videos feature Bell's teachings. They also have music by independent artists.

In August 2005, Zondervan Publishing released Bell's first book. It was called Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. This book explores a new way of understanding the Christian faith. It was written for people who are interested in Jesus but don't fit into traditional Christian groups.

Bell's "Everything is Spiritual" speaking tour started on June 30, 2006, in Chicago. Money from ticket sales helped WaterAid. This group helps people get safe water and sanitation. This helps them escape poverty and disease.

Bell's second book, God: Exploring Connections between Spirituality, was released in 2007. In June 2007, Bell toured the United Kingdom and Ireland. He gave a series of talks called Calling All Peacemakers. Bell started another speaking tour in 2007, "The Gods Aren't Angry." This tour talked about faith and good deeds.

Bell's 2009 project, Drops Like Stars, looked at how creativity and suffering are linked. Drops Like Stars was both an international tour and a book. Bell first wrote the book by hand and added photographs. He explored how suffering can lead to creativity, understanding, and growth. He said that as a pastor, he saw people's most difficult moments. He realized there was a connection between suffering and making art.

After Leaving Mars Hill

In September 2013, Oprah interviewed Bell for her Super Soul Sunday TV show. Bell's book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, was also Oprah's first recommended book that month.

Television Work

Starting in 2011, ABC television announced a new TV drama. It was called Stronger. Bell co-wrote it with Carlton Cuse, who was a producer for the TV series Lost. The show was loosely based on Bell's life. It would follow a musician on a spiritual journey. However, Bell and Cuse did not get approval to film a pilot for Stronger.

Bell and Cuse then started another project. It was described as a "faith-focused talk show" hosted by Bell. Two test shows were filmed in September 2012 in Los Angeles. These were to create a preview for TV network executives.

His Podcast

Bell hosts a podcast called The Robcast. He is the only host, but he often has guests. Bell believes that churches are changing. He thinks podcasts offer a way to learn and grow spiritually without traditional church structures. In 2015, iTunes named it the best religion and spirituality podcast.

Robert Bell's Beliefs

In his writings, Bell says, "I believe in truth found in any religion or worldview. If it's true, it comes from God."

Bell's 2011 book, Love Wins, caused a big discussion among Christian groups. This discussion was featured in a Time magazine cover story and an article in The New York Times. In the book, Bell talks about different ideas of hell. He says that believing in hell as endless suffering can make Jesus' message of love harder to share. He explores the idea that everyone might eventually be reunited with God. He does not pick one view as his own. However, he says it is good for Christians to hope for this idea.

Some conservative Christian leaders criticized the book. They included Albert Mohler and John Piper. Mohler said the book was "theologically disastrous" for not rejecting the idea of everyone being saved. Other religious leaders, like Brian McLaren, defended Bell's views. Bell says he is not a universalist. He argues that Christians should be open to different ideas about these topics. As Jon Meacham said, Love Wins encourages living with mystery instead of needing all the answers. Some Christians felt this "uncertainty" did not fit with the Bible. Others said the book was simply starting an important conversation about old interpretations of the Bible. In the book, Bell also questions the idea of Christians only focusing on going to heaven. He argues that Jesus focused on God making this world new and better.

At his Viper Room appearance in July 2012, Bell answered a question about churches accepting gay members. Bell said, "Some people are gay, and you're our brothers and you're our sisters, and we love you." He added that gay people are "passionate followers of Jesus." On March 17, 2013, Bell said in an interview, "I am for marriage. I am for faithfulness. I am for love, no matter if it's a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man." He felt that society was moving towards accepting this.

In March 2013, Bell shared his thoughts on conservative Christian groups. He called it "a very narrow, politically connected, isolated Christian subculture." He said that these groups have "turned away many people" from the church. He felt they talked about God in ways that did not make people more loving. He added that they "supported policies that are actually harmful," and did it "in the name of God." He believed they needed to change.

In 2018, a documentary about Bell called The Heretic was released.

Awards and Recognition

In June 2011, Time Magazine named Bell as one of the "2011 Time 100". This is the magazine's yearly list of the 100 most influential people in the world.